A drug addict who tried to rip-off an off-duty police officer by selling him tissue paper he pretended was cocaine has been spared immediate prison.

Jamal Ahmed approached the officer in the centre of Leeds in the early hours of March 13 last year, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Ahmed, 28, of Mannheim Road, Heaton, Bradford, was heavily under the influence of drink and drugs when he made the “ill-judged and pathetic” attempt to make money for a taxi home, his barrister James Bourne-Arton said.

Ahmed pleaded guilty to offering to supply a quantity of cocaine to the officer in Briggate at 3.45am after a night out.

Prosecutor Abdul Shakoor said he went up to the off-duty officer and asked if he would like some “sniff.”

He produced a bag of what looked like cocaine saying it should be £50 but he could have it at a discount for £35.

The officer asked if he could have two bags for £70 and Ahmed agreed. He then asked to see the drugs and disclosed that he was a police officer.

Mr Shakoor said Ahmed didn’t believe him at first but then he snorted the cocaine he had on him while waiting for other officers to come and arrest him.

He told the police he found the plastic bags on the ground and put the tissue in them to pass off as cocaine to pay for a taxi home.

Ahmed had previous convictions for vehicle offences, robbery, possession of cannabis and attempted possession of cocaine.

Mr Bourne-Arton said: “There’s no harm can be caused by supplying tissue paper. He has tried to rip-off an off-duty police officer while heavily under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”

Ahmed was addicted to cocaine and struggling to manage on benefits, the court heard.

Judge Colin Burn said Ahmed had serious previous convictions but he wasn’t a drug dealer. He had a current and ongoing problem with cocaine.

On the night of the offence, he didn’t have the money to get home and this was “a rather cack-handed attempt to rip-off a person he thought might be a fellow drug user.”

He turned out to be an off-duty police officer and the so-called cocaine was two bags containing a couple of lumps of Kleenex, Judge Burn said.

Ahmed knew it wasn’t a Class A drug. He was trying to cheat the person he was attempting to sell the tissue to.

“It was all part of the illegal culture of the possession and supply of Class A drugs,” Judge Burn said. “It was a rather unattractive attempt to defraud.”

Ahmed was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a six month drug rehabilitation activity requirement and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 25 days.

Judge Burn ordered forfeiture and destruction of the tissue paper.